Smartphone users to download more than 45 billion apps in 2012

More than 45 billion mobile applications are expected to be downloaded in 2012, and the majority of them will be free according to a new report from Gartner.

The global technology research and advisory company has released new research which reveals that free applications are becoming increasingly more popular than their paid for counterparts.

In 2011, 88.4 per cent of the nearly 25 billion smartphone applications downloaded were free, according to Gartner. By the year 2016 however, Gartner predicts only seven per cent of the 288 billion applications downloaded will be paid-for downloads.

The news is proof that smartphone users are constantly on the lookout for the best deal and will not usually stand for spending more money than they need to.